Suspenders



Nov. 19, 1946.' H. JACKSON SUSPENDERS Filed Sept. 9, 1944 IN V EN TOR.

n ryA/ac: /TJ'O 9 ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 19, .1945

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- The invention described herein, if patented may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon,

`The present invention relates to garment supporting devices and moreparticularly has reference to Suspenders made entirely of fabric and not including any buckles or clamps for adjusting the size of the Suspenders.

I am well-aware that numerous attempts have heretofore beenmade to devise Suspenders which eliminated the employment of metallic buckles or clasps forthe usual practices. These `prior devices, however, have not proven entirely satisfactory.` For example, these constructions have been relatively complex in structural detail which, of necessity, increased `materially the cost of manufacture, YAlso, the means whereby adjustment of size is accomplished has not been of, very sturdy' or substantial construction with the attendant disadvantage of frequent breaking of the tab `supporting member.

Accordingly, one important object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages now inherentgin this art. 1 U l l Another object of my invention is to provide a garment supporting device which is simple ,both in constructionand operation, andwhichcan be cheaply and easily manufactured.

Yet another object of `this invention is to provide a garmentsupporting device which is made entirely of fabric material and which does not utilize buckles or clamps for effecting size adjustments. l A

A further object of rmy inventionis to provide a garment supporting `device with a double loop arrangement `intermediate the shoulder straps and the rear button carryingmember to Vaiford flexibility of movement andabsorb the strain im posed normally upon the rear button carrying member, Y

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel adjusting construction for the button tab strap which does not employ the usual clasps or buckles.

\ To achieve the above, and other important objects, this invention generally embraces the idea of attaching to the front free edges of the shoulder straps, layers of fabric secured together, preferably by weaving, in such a manner as to provide a plurality of vertically spaced openings extending therethrough. A button tab strap is adapted to pass throughany one of the openings and by the proper seleCtOn, the length of the susamended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) penders may be readily adjusted. suitably af- 55 the slidable loop members and the lixed to the opposite free edges of the shoulder straps are loop members interconnected `as to afford a slidable loop structure. Intermediate rear button engaging tabs are resilient inserts for accomplishing the usual results. l

By virtue of this construction, I provide a garment supporting device wherein the vertical adjustment of the device may be achieved `without the use of metallic buckles or clasps. Moreover,

the slidable loop arrangementin the realI Will compensate for most of the strain subjected normally upon the resilient inserts, thereby increasing materially the life of the supporting device.

Various other objects and advantages of thisI invention will appear more fully hereinafter` `It is to be understood that the specic embodiment or embodiments shown are merely illustrative;

and, hence, the detailed description thereof is not to be taken as limiting the invention per se.

Referring to the Vdrawing wherein like numerals indicate the same or similar parts:

Figure 1 is a composite perspective View, illus-1 trating the'principles of my inventive concept.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the Aline 2-2 ofY Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. l l

Figure 3` is an enlarged fragmenta-l View of one 1 of the front adjusting strips.

Figure 4 is a detailed 'fragmental view of `another type `of rear connection between the shoulder straps and the resilient inserts thatmay bei employed.

In Figure 1, there is shown pair. of shoulderl engaging straps designated I. A strap extension 2 is attached totheflowerfront edge of leach of i the straps l by stitches 3.V The strap extension 2, comprises an upper layer of woven fabric lt-and a lower layer 5 ofthe same material; Thos-layers 4 and 5 are secured together, preferably by` weaving, to form a plurality of ,vertically spacedopenings or tunnels 6 extending transversely*there-'"-4 through. A button tab strap l, having buttonholes 8 woven in each end thereof, is of such size and conguration that it may be passed through any one of the openings 6. therefore, that by placing the strap 'l in the proper opening 6, the length of the Suspenders may be adjusted readily.

It will be noted from Figure 3 that the upper and lower edges of the opening are formed with at least four points ofcontact identied A, B, C and D for the strap-1 The points B and C are in a different horizontal plane from A and D thereby dening in effectopposed curved or arcu- It will be appreciated, Y

- 3 ate upper and lower edges. This arrangement gives a more sturdy structure and there is little danger of damaging the opening since the strain imposed by the strap is distributed evenly throughout the entire length of the openingl In View of the fact that the openings are centrally constrictedby opposed curved upper andy lower ,symmetrically divergent walls, a button-v tab strap being carried in a selected opening and' supported by one of said defining walls, it is ap,-` parent that either end of the strap eXterlSiOn 2 can be attached to the lower edge of the shoulder strap i, which of course is very important from the manufacturing angle.

A loop indicated 9 is sewn, as shownat lll,to the opposite edge of each of the shoulder straps l.

sufficient flexibility for normal use.

It will be fully understood that vthe foregoing description and accompanying drawing cover only the general and preferred embodiment of the in-` vention and that various changes in construction,

'Y proportion and arrangement of the elements may Each loop is formed with an outer strip :H andA an inner strip l2. To provide flexibility of movement, the outer strip of one loopextends over the outer strip of the other loop and the' inners'trip of the iirst-named loop is` disposed between the outer and inner strips of `the second-named loop. Itis obvious, therefore, that these interlocking loops providesJ very flexible connection and have a wide latitude of movement with respect to each other.v Y A resilient strip or insertl Hi is suitably secured at its upper edge to the lower edge of each loop 9, as indicated b y the numeral 1 5, rand the free edge of theinsert is attached, as indicated at i6, to a rear button engaging tab Vl, The button engaging tab l1 isniadeo'f fabric-similar` to the shoulder s-trapsl and'has woven therein abuttonhole i3, In use, the shoulder 'straps I encircle `the shoulders'ofvthe wearer, and thebuttonholes i3 engage the 'rear buttons' on the garment to fbe'sup'ported. After the wearer has determined the correct length'fof thesuspenders, Vthe button tab strap 'l is'feirtended through the opening 6 which corresponds'to thisparticularrlength, and the buttonholes Bare engaged by the front'garment buttons.

Byv'ireason of theslidableloop constructionv, and

the resilient inserts' I4, thewearer may have free` dom ofmovemlehtfand there i'srelatively no strain v imparted'tothefstrips hi due tgthe slidabl loop structure Q .H'

It" "willbe Y.appreciated be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

. Having thus described the invention and what I claim as novel and desire to be secured by Letters Patent is:

that' my -novel garment supporting' device is highly desirable in that itfisy madeentirely offabric, thereby eliminating the Y utilization of buckles or' clasps, heretofore resorted tofor making the necessary 'size adjustments.

F1irthermo're,` the structure whereby the adjustf4 mentl can-be effected liis very simple and, due to the manner in which it is made, thereisi-little likelihood Of injury.

In Figure i4, -Ihaveillustrated a modiedtype of construction' for securingA the shoulder straps to thesrear button tab Il. 4Itvvvillfllve observed that the loweredge of 'each ofthe 'straps I ar'esewn together as at' 20. The upper edge ofeachof the '60 resilient inserts '14 are Asewn 'along their'upper f marginal edgestothe straps IY', as shown at 2|.

To insure amore secure connection between the l. In a garment-supporting device, shoulder straps, button-engaging tabs carried by one end of said shoulder straps, a plurality of layers of woven fabric secured to the opposite end of said straps, transverse walls formed by Weaving to` getherv portions of said layers so as to define an opening between said layers, and abutton-tab strap carried in said opening and supported by one of saiddefining walls( 2. In a garment-supporting device, shoulder straps, :button-engaging tabs carried by one end of said shoulder straps, a plurality of layers of Woven fabric secured to the opposite end of said straps, transverse walls formed by weaving together portionsiof said layers so as to define a -pluralityof straps,'button-engagingV tabs carried' by one end of'said shoulder straps, a plurality of layers 'of woven `fabric secured to the opposite end of said' straps; transverse Walls formed by weaving together portions of said layers 'so as to definea symmetrical `centrally.rcons'tricted opening'. betweenfsai'd layers, and a'button-tab strap carried inV said opening and supported by one'of said deningfwalls." l

4::In.' a vgarment-supporting device, shoulder straps,1buttonengaging `tabs carried'by one end of said shoulderstraps,` aplurality of layers'of Woven fabric of'substantially identical width secured'to the opposite end of said \straps transverse,"VA symmetrically divergent opposed walls: formed by weaving together portions of said layers of fabric so as to denne a, centrally constricted opening: betweentsaid layers,"4 and a button-tab strap .carried in-.said Yopeningland supported-by' one f of said fdefiningF walls, said' button-tab strap being'supportable by anopposed wall when the 1 relative position of saidlayers and shoulder strap `isreversed.- u' HENRY L.l J|ACKSON.1-'z. 

